


A Welcome Distraction

by vintagebastard



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, First Meetings, Luffy Being Luffy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:14:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24061183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vintagebastard/pseuds/vintagebastard
Summary: Zoro wasn't one for making friends or hanging out. Other students may waste their time on useless things like 'studying' or 'forming meaningful relationships', but other students just didn't have the determination that he does. Zoro had a goal, One goal, to be the strongest kendo fighter in the world. And he was going to get there some day, if one goofy, charming, unfortunately lovable idiot would stop distracting him that is.---The high school-sports-anime au that NO ONE asked for lol. Will Luffy be able to win Zoro's friendship? Will that friendship bloom into something more? Will Zoro finally get that stick out of his ass? Probably, but I'll be damned if there won't be a handful of shenanigans before we get there ;~)c
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy/Roronoa Zoro
Comments: 8
Kudos: 81





	A Welcome Distraction

**Author's Note:**

> I've always wanted to see the strawhats in one of those super intense sporty series, like haikyuu or free! there is something deeply entertaining about teenagers treating a kendo match like it's a life or death battle (mostly because I remember being a fairly intense teenager not too long ago lol)
> 
> Anyway, heres that, with romance and teenage drama galore! It was meant to be a VERY small drabble for a writing project I had to do, and very clearly spiraled out of control, whoopsie!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't know anything about Kendo, the japanese school system, sports in general, what teenagers are into these days, how vending machines really work, or anything really.

The start of a new school year was nothing remarkable in Zoro’s eyes. Just a few more classes to sleep through, 8 hours a day between him and kendo club, truly the only thing that really  _ matters _ . For Zoro, school was, to put it bluntly, pointless.

At 16 he’d already decided his life’s mission. One Goal, one passion, the one piece of his daily routine that actually mattered.  _ Kendo _ .

A noble martial art, a test of skill and resolve both physically and mentally. And Zoro was going to be the best at it. Not just the best in his school, not just the best in this city or country. Zoro was going to be  _ the _ best. He just had to make it through the last half hour of classes right now, before he could get back to training, of course.

The teacher droned on about equations and numbers, math for his last class was nothing short of pure torture, and today had already seemed to drag on and on. His teacher scribbled some more complicated equations on the board and Zoro, who really hadn’t been paying attention so far, found that it looked more like rocket science or hieroglyphics. Zoro wouldn’t think of himself as...  _ dumb _ . Just. Very singularly-focused. Determined, that’s the word. Math, or most other boring subjects, weren’t exactly at the top of his priority list, because they had absolutely nothing to do with his goal. Math wasn’t going to win him any kendo medals. At least, not with his grades, that is.

He managed fine enough, a C- last semester definitely wasn’t an F. If he was being honest, though? That grade was largely thanks to the spunky red-head who sat in the seat next to him. He watched as she chewed the back of her pen, staring intently at the board, clearly a lot more sure of...  _ whatever _ they’re teacher was talking about.

_ Nami _ , that’s her name yeah? They’d been in some of the same classes last year as well, though they couldn’t really be called friends. She always took good notes, her hand-writing was clean and tidy, and she’d let him copy her homework for 10 bucks  _ per page _ . Last year, he’d wracked up at least 100 dollars in debt to that witch, but he needed to at least pass his classes if he wanted to stay in his club.

Speaking of, the clock was ticking closer and closer to the end of the day. Just a few minutes to go till freedom, thank god. The teacher was telling them about the homework assignment now, but it was pretty much a lost cause for Zoro at this point. The assignment went in one ear and out the other, so he’d already resigned himself to paying Nami for her’s tomorrow. He usually couldn’t pay attention due to chronic napping in class anyway, but right now he was looking forward to his club, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit antsy by now.

The first club meeting of the year was  _ always _ a great one. It was the one few times that the grizzled old supervisor, Mihawk, would give a demonstration for new recruits. Mihawk was a former national kendo  _ champion _ , who after his twenty year career retired to teaching the sport. It was amazing to see the power and speed that man held in each strike. Even more thrilling to know that one day he  _ would _ beat him.

The bell rings, and Zoro was up and ready to leave in a flash. Nami noticed his haste of course, and rolled her eyes as she packed up her books at a leisurely pace. It seemed she was already fully aware that he hadn’t paid attention in class at all. Ever observant, this one.

“I’ll be in the library early tomorrow morning, if you need the notes. For my usual fee of course.” She said, and he could practically  _ hear _ the sly smirk in her voice. He only spared her a grunt in response as he booked it for the door. He knew she was right, but he definitely didn't have time to get into it with her now. He could  _ not _ be late today.

The route to the kendo dojo took him around the back of the school, where very few students wander through. It’s almost always quiet back here, as kendo is one of the only clubs that meet in this part of the school, so his brisk march toward his destination went largely unobstructed. The afternoon sun cast a warm light on everything, the fresh spring air filled his lungs and he finally felt free from the stuffy confines of the classroom.

There's one vending machine back there, near the janitorial shed. It probably hadn’t been restocked since long before Zoro started attending this school, it’s glass case looked perpetually dusty, as did the snacks inside. He’d never seen anyone actually use it. Until today, that is.

Well, ‘using it’ would be a  _ really _ generous term to describe the scene before him. There was a scrawny kid with dark hair, laying on the ground in front of it, his  _ entire _ arm shoved up the hatch the snacks dropped through. He seemed to be scrambling toward a bag of probably-expired chips, a look of pure determination on his face. 

Zoro noticed the faded scar on his cheek, and recognized him as the dummy from his literature class earlier, who’d gotten in trouble for insisting that watching the movie version of their summer reading assignment was good enough, because the book had been too boring. He hadn’t seen him for the rest of the day after that, but Zoro remembered him because quite frankly he had silently fully agreed with him. _Romeo and Juliet_ just wasn't really that interesting, and love was _stupid_.

As Zoro got closer, he could see the kid had dirt all over his school shirt, likely from rolling on the ground while trying to grab a snack. He didn’t seem to notice Zoro approaching, or at least didn’t seem to care, as he didn’t even look up to acknowledge Zoro when stood over him. He just continued trying to shove his arm deeper into the machine, his eyes glued to that bag of barbeque chips. After watching him continue to struggle for a moment, Zoro finally spoke.

“Oi-” He started, but the kid on the ground cut him off immediately.

“Go away! I’ve almost got it, these chips are  _ mine _ ” He said, clearly nowhere near obtaining them. Zoro rolled his eyes.

“...Did the machine steal your money?” Zoro questioned, still watching the spectacle before him. The kid shook his head.

“Nah, I’m pretty flexible, so I figured I could probably just take ‘em.” He said, admitting to his casually attempted (and failing) theft. Zoro was impressed by his blunt honesty at least.

“Are you... stuck?” Zoro asked, because having your entire arm shoved up a vending machine certainly didn’t  _ look _ comfortable. The kid continued his struggle, not even looking up at him.

“Probably!” He said, sounding more enthusiastic than one should be in this situation. “Man, I wish my arm was like, made of rubber or something right now.” He complained, still flailing in the machine. His hand was at least half a foot from reaching those chips still.

Kendo class was momentarily forgotten, as watching this guy struggle to steal these chips had been the first interesting thing to happen to Zoro all day. His stubbornness would be almost admirable, if it wasn’t for this being such a trivial goal. For some reason, Zoro almost felt like he really would get them any moment now, even though he was clearly nowhere near actually reaching the coveted snack.

“What’s your name?” Zoro asked finally, after watching him continue to grunt and reach for another solid minute. The kid finally looked up at him and relaxed for a moment, though his entire arm and shoulder were still shoved deep into the machine. Despite his current predicament he seemed quite chipper.

“Luffy! What’s yours?” He asked, flashing Zoro a big grin. For how he was still half-way trapped in the machine, Luffy seemed to be in a great mood.

“Zoro”

“Zolo?”

“ _ Zoro. _ ” He corrected, but Luffy’s attention had already shifted.

“Hey, can I borrow one of those!” He asked, gesturing with his free hand towards the three shinai poking out of Zoro’s backpack.

“What? No way.” Zoro said, shooting Luffy a fierce glare at the idea of using one of his swords for a  _ vending machine _ . Luffy didn’t seem threatened by that in the slightest, and instead started to raise his voice in petulant complaint.

“Aw come on! I only need it for a minute! I’ll give it back!!” He whined, and the whole scene would have been hilarious to a passer-by if there had been any. A brief shouting match ensued.

_ “Why should I???” “I need them!!” “They’re NOT for grabbing SNACKS, they’re weapons” “I only need it for a second!!! Don’t be stingy!! I’ll even give you a chip!” _

They went back and forth for a minute before Zoro, frustrated, finally shouted “HOLD ON,” and stomped off muttering about stubborn jerks and how the chips probably weren’t even good  _ anyway _ . Luffy could hear the sounds of the janitorial shed door creaking open, though he couldn’t see what was going on beyond the vending machine. Zoro returned quickly, with an old mop in hand.

“Here, Captain Idiot, you can use this.” He said, offering Luffy the mop handle.

“Thanks!” Luffy beamed, flashing Zoro a big grin. It was the kind of bright, brilliant smile that seemed to rival sunshine in its intensity, a level of childish enthusiasm that kid’s their age didn’t usually have anymore. A smile that earnest almost immediately made up for Luffy trying to use his swords as a snack-grabbing tool.

And then the moment had passed as quickly as it came, as Luffy turned and began haphazardly banging the mop handle against the machine. Zoro rolled his eyes, now very glad he hadn’t handed over any of his shinai. Wado Ichimonji was  _ not _ a tool for smacking vending machines.

But oddly enough, the force of the vicious attack on the snack machine seemed to do the trick. Not only did the chips come loose, but about half a dozen other likely-expired treats as well. Zoro had to admit, he was pretty impressed.

“Wow, cool.” He said, which was probably the biggest compliment he’d ever given a fellow student. He meant it though, that was pretty cool. He’d watched at least five minutes of very determined struggle, only to see this impossibly2 stubborn kid come out victorious. It was, of course, a very small ridiculous goal, but it still somehow made him very happy to see Luffy had accomplished it.

“Alright!!!” Luffy exclaimed, enthusiastic in his victory, though he seemed to realize pretty quickly that despite obtaining his hard-won spoils, he was still very stuck indeed. “Oh, damn.”

Zoro tried to hold back his laughter at that, but it was pretty hilarious to see that emotional whip-lash go down. He didn’t break down in chuckles very often, but he found himself unable to maintain his usual composed demeanor after that. He clasped a hand over his mouth in to restrain his snickering, but to no avail. 

The hilarity of the situation seemed to finally dawn on Luffy then, as he began to laugh as well. And unfortunately, Luffy’s laughter was particularly contagious, causing Zoro to break down even further. Before he knew it, he was clutching his stomach and dropping to his knees as the laughter rolled through him, Luffy giggling right along with him. Zoro hadn’t laughed this hard in  _ ages _ , but it felt so natural with this boy he’d only just met.

After a long moment of raucous laughter, Zoro finally managed to collect himself and reached over to try and help pull him out, but the kid put up a hand to stop him.

“Nah, don’t worry about it! I got myself in here, I can get myself out! I’ve been here a while anyway I think, so it’ll be fine.” He said, still grinning up at him. Though he certainly  _ looked _ like he wasn’t getting out any time soon, Luffy seemed incredibly at ease and the steady sureness in his voice convinced Zoro that he would surely make it out on his own. Zoro nodded, understanding that no further assistance would be needed or accepted. 

Luffy reached into the machine and pulled out one of the pilfered treats, a very old and slightly dusty chocolate bar. He hands it off to Zoro, still giving him that bright smile. “Here! I don’t usually like to share food but... Thanks for the stick!” 

“Sure, no problem.” Zoro said, accepting the stale bar. It made him feel warm, sharing in the spoils of battle. He shook off the feeling quickly though, he wasn’t one to go soft so easily. It is then that he pondered for a moment. “Hey, how long have you been stuck here? I haven’t seen you around since at least 5th period.” He questioned. Surely he hadn’t been trying to get those chips  _ all  _ day. Zoro was, of course, very wrong.

“Yeah I got hungry after that, and we’d already had lunch break so I went looking for a snack. Guess I’ve been stuck here for a while and didn’t even notice! Hey what time is it?” Luffy asked, though Zoro was still mostly shell-shocked at the fact that this kid had sat here fighting a vending machine for  _ at least _ 2 hours. Talk about hard-headed.

“Its-” He started, checking his watch, and the sudden terrible realization of the time hit him all at once. “Shit! It’s 3:15, I’m late for kendo!” he jumped up, rushing off towards the dojo. Luffy shouted after him.

“Kendo!! With the wooden swords? That’s so COOL, I wanna see!! Hey wait!! Zoro!” He called after him, and Zoro stopped, shooting him an annoyed look.

“ _ What _ , I’m already late” He stated bluntly, immediately regretting having stopped to watch this Epic Vending Machine Fight. Mihawk was going to  _ kill _ him. Or worse, make him sit out of practice today.

“Isn’t that club in the other direction from where you’re heading?” Luffy said curiously, pointing towards where the dojo  _ actually _ was. Zoro balked at that, wondering how he’d managed to get turned around so easily.

“Er- right, yeah, I was just. Taking a different route. Bye.” He said, rushing off the right way now. He heard Luffy shouting after him.

“Hey! You go on ahead, I’m gonna get outta this thing and come watch you do kendo!” He called out, and foolish though it was, Zoro found that he believed him. Though admittedly, it didn’t seem very likely, Luffy was pretty damn stuck and would surely be wiggling there for a while longer. He pocketed the chocolate bar and rushed his way towards his club.

Mihawk was, of course, pissed. He didn’t say so, obviously, he never needed to express his disappointment verbally to get the point across. He just gave Zoro a piercing look when he stepped out of the changing room, almost 20 minutes after the club had officially begun. Zoro had to serve as Mihawk’s opponent in the demonstration for the newbies, which was both thrilling and extremely terrifying. Mihawk absolutely did not hold back when training with Zoro, and Zoro wouldn’t have had it any other way.

After what felt like ages of getting his ass handed to him, Zoro finally collapsed onto the mat in defeat, sweating and breathing hard from the exertion. His three shinai still proved no match for Mihawk's sheer skill.

“You lasted much longer in this duel, Zoro. You’ve improved greatly since just last year.” Mihawk stated, completely unfazed from the fight, before going back to addressing the club as a whole. Mihawk did not dole out praise very often, and not once has he ever given a compliment that wasn’t well earned. Though the praise was small, Zoro recognized that it was a massive achievement on his part. One step closer towards his goal of besting the man some day.

When Zoro was finally able to sit back up, he was shocked to see a bright, grinning face among the students seated around the mat. Luffy, still completely rumpled and dusty from rolling on the ground in front of the vending machine for two hours, was sitting cross-legged amongst the new batch of potential club members. Zoro couldn’t help but blush a bit, and was suddenly very thankful for his bogu mask right now. The kid had actually made it out the machine in time to watch him fight.

The rest of the club went well, Zoro participated in two other demonstration matches with fellow senior club members, easily beating them both despite his fatigue from his first match. Luffy watched both matches eagerly, beaming at Zoro the whole time. If anything, the desire to impress just honed his skills even sharper, and he took his opponents down with ruthless efficiency.

After the club had officially ended, Zoro went to change back into his uniform. When he exited the changing room, he found that Luffy had waited for him. Looked like this kid was hard to get rid of, huh. Luffy waved him down with a grin.

“Zoro!!! You were awesome!! You fight with three swords? That’s so cool!!” Luffy babbled out, not even giving Zoro a chance to say hello or ‘hey thanks for coming’. But his enthusiasm was infectious, Zoro couldn’t help but grin right back.

“Ha, thanks, got my ass kicked in that first round though.” He said, mostly joking, but still slightly berating himself for the failure. Even when he knows how skilled he is, it’s still hard not to hate losing. Two out of three wins is still one loss to many for Zoro.

“Yeah, but you didn’t surrender at all, so that’s why you’re gonna beat him some day right?” Luffy said, entirely non-chancalaunt, but once again with that complete certainty. Zoro was a bit taken-aback by that; of course he’d held fast to that goal since he was a little kid and picked up the sport. Hell, he’d chosen his high school because it was the one Mihawk had decided to retire to teach at. But his goal, by definition, was to beat and then become the strongest kendo fighter in the world. He’d be lying if he said it didn’t still feel pretty far out of reach. It was a bit of a shock to hear someone he’d only know for a few hours voice his goal as if it was a sure thing. It also filled him with a certain thrill.

“Yeah, I am. I’m gonna be the strongest swordsman in the world” He said with a smile on his lips, feeling the goal as if it were already real. The grin Luffy gave him just further bolstered his confidence.

“Yup! And I’ll definitely be there to watch that match too!” Luffy said. Zoro felt a tug in his chest. If he were the more poetic type, he might describe it as the gentle pull of the strings of fate. But mostly, it just felt like it came naturally, laughing and dreaming big with this goofy kid, as they walked home from school in the fading afternoon light.

He had a feeling this school year was gonna be a bit more interesting.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, thats that for now! I love the idea that, outside of a universe of pirate-y adventures, Luffy's boundless energy and determination would have to be directed at ridiculous things, like robbing busted old vending machines. He'd be a trouble-maker no doubt, but only the fun lovable kind <3
> 
> And as for Zoro, well, clearly he's a magnet for goofballs (looking at you Johnny and Yosaku, even though you haven't even shown up yet)  
> I'm still not 100% sure how well I did on staying in character? But considering this has become an entirely self-indulgent fun fic, I don't think I super care. There will be tropes and there will be tom-foolery and I will NOT apologize for it. This will update at random, as I have time to write or as my beloved best friend bothers me to keep going lol
> 
> This is my very first time writing for One Piece (even though it's my absolute favorite anime series), so I'm still getting used to writing for these characters. Please be gentle with any constructive crit!
> 
> Hope you guys are all staying safe through the current pandemic! Wash your hands and stay home (and maybe read more fanfic)


End file.
